The present invention relates to a power-assistance method for control for a vehicle having a manual or automatic gearbox, employing an algorithm for learning the clutch characteristic curve.
The invention relates in particular to power-assistance devices and methods for uphill maneuvers, but it may also be applied to estimation of the wear of a vehicle clutch or even to control of an electronic trajectory control system (better known under the name Electronic Traction Control, ETC) of a 4×4 vehicle.
On certain vehicles, the automobile manufacturers are offering a power-assisted parking brake.
By reason of its relatively high cost compared with the traditional parking brake solution, this power-assisted parking brake must provide performance that adds value for the customer.
To add value to this system, the manufacturers have therefore decided to associate therewith a power-assistance function for uphill maneuvers and especially power assistance for uphill starting (or pulling away), wherein the principle is to release the brakes on the non-driving wheels as soon as the torque transmitted by the engine to the driving wheels is sufficient to compensate for the inclination effect of the slope.
Such devices are already known.
In this regard, document GB 2376990 proposes a control module for a power-assisted parking brake device for a motor vehicle provided with a manual gearbox, which releases the force applied to the parking brake when it receives signals indicating to it, on the one hand, a positive displacement of the accelerator pedal and, on the other hand, that the position of the clutch pedal has reached its bite point. The instant at which the device releases the brake also depends on the clutch-pedal depression velocity, on the gear ratio engaged and on the slope on which the vehicle user is located.
This device has the disadvantage of being sensitive to the noise of sensors, such as the inclination sensor. Furthermore, it takes only the bite point on the clutch characteristic curve into account. Thus it does not permit optimal pulling away on a steep slope.
Finally, another disadvantage of this method is that it is based on calculation, from an estimate of the engine torque, of the torque transmitted by the clutch corresponding to the bite point. Thus it does not take into account the aging of the clutch, and it is sensitive to active consuming loads, such as the air-conditioning, the alternator or any other device consuming part of the energy supplied by the engine.
Document FR 2828450 in turn proposes a power-assistance method for uphill starting using the characteristics of the vehicle clutch by means of an algorithm for estimating the torque transmitted to this clutch, in order to control brake release more precisely during pulling away.
This estimate is made by plotting a clutch characteristic curve, which gives the position and the maximum torque that can be transmitted by the corresponding clutch. However, it is very sensitive to the initialization of the said curve as well as to sensor noise. Furthermore, updating of the curve is slow and unsuitable for its degree of reliability.